Browse › 2016 › March

March 2016

March 9

Alliance issues Vulnerable Persons' Standard to advise government on physician-assisted death

March 9, 2016

OTTAWA - A broad alliance of Catholic and other organizations opposed to assisted suicide is urging that upcoming legislation provide explicit protections for disabled and other vulnerable people including a review by a judge or independent authority prior to the killing of any patient.

Nancy Reagan recalled as 'kind, gracious' during 1987 papal encounter

March 9, 2016

OXNARD, Calif. - Following the death of Nancy Reagan March 6, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony recalled fondly sharing time with the former first lady and Pope John Paul II during the pontiff's 1987 visit to Los Angeles.

March 10

There has to be a better standard

March 10, 2016

While America entertains itself with the likes of Donald Trump and the presidential primaries, Canada is inching towards what’s bound to be a monumental decision with repercussions on both sides of the border. Euthanasia. State-sponsored suicide. And by inching I mean we’re barrelling towards it at breakneck speed.

God will never desert us

March 10, 2016

Passion (Palm) Sunday (Year C) March 20 (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 2:14-23:56) How do we make sense of catastrophe and disaster? We usually look for explanations and causes, or more often than not, someone to blame.

Common sense

March 10, 2016

Canadian law permits abortion at any time for any reason during a pregnancy. Despite the Supreme Court’s position that Parliament is entitled to legislate some protections for pre-born children, what has developed instead is de facto government endorsement of an absolute right to choose.

God’s mercy is inexhaustible

March 10, 2016

Many of us, I am sure, have been inspired by the movie Of Gods and Men, the story of a group of Trappist monks who, after making a painful decision not to flee from the violence in Algeria in the 1990s, are eventually martyred by Islamic extremists in 1996. Recently, I was much inspired by reading the diaries of one of those monks, Christophe Lebreton. Published under the title Born from the Gaze of God, The Tibhirine Journal of a Martyr Monk, his diaries chronicle the last three years of his life and give us an insight into his, and his community’s, decision to remain in Algeria in the face of almost certain death.

Pastors find options to help coax people back to Sacrament of Reconciliation

March 10, 2016

DETROIT - When Fr. Benjamin Kosnac decided to start offering confessions 30 minutes before every Mass, he wasn't sure anyone would come.

Catholic silence on involvement in Middle East called 'massive failure'

March 10, 2016

NEW YORK - An American bishop has called the silence of Catholics on the ongoing wars in the Middle East a massive failure.

Canadian aid could fund abortions

March 10, 2016

OTTAWA - Pro-life groups charge that the federal government intends to resume funding for overseas abortions as part of its international child and maternal health program.

Pope Francis tries to clean up costly saint-making process

March 10, 2016

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has approved new rules to tighten financial oversight of the canonization process after leaked documents revealed abuses and high costs in creating saints.

African bishops to boycott meeting of Anglican council over Episcopal Church attendance

March 10, 2016

NAIROBI, Kenya - The Anglican Church in Kenya has become the latest province to announce it will boycott the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Zambia over the participation of the Episcopal Church.

New report details 'genocide' by Islamic State against Christians, minorities

March 10, 2016

The Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians contend that Christians in Libya, Iraq and Syria are victims of genocide carried out by the Islamic State in a new report.

March 11

Youth celebrate the meaning of mercy at annual rally

March 11, 2016

TORONTO - About 1,000 youth and their families gathered together at Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s John Bassett Theatre to learn about a simple five-letter word that most of us struggle to understand: mercy.

Learning from my temptations

March 11, 2016

During Lent, we are all like Jesus, starving in the desert and being asked to turn stone into bread. But we must choose each and every time to say no. Even in the “Our Father” we ask God to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” But why must we face temptations during Lent and how do they shape us? This Lenten season I decided to give up Facebook and YouTube videos. The reason was simple. I wanted to be more productive. So, I resolved to liberate myself from procrastination and to purposefully get work done.

Faith communities must be moral dimension in fighting climate change

March 11, 2016

OTTAWA - Faith communities must stay hopeful and engaged to ensure governments live up to climate change commitments, says the leader of the United Church of Canada’s delegation to COP21.

Indian bishops give self-critique, discuss issues of concern

March 11, 2016

BANGALORE, India - Catholic bishops in India made some self-critical observations and also discussed moral decline and growing religious fundamentalism during their biennial assembly.

Halifax’s Saint Mary’s University offering language course for those welcoming Syrian refugees

March 11, 2016

Retired lawyer Bob Doherty has no illusions about becoming fluent in Arabic but he’s taking a language course at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in order to ease the transition for the Syrian refugee family his parish will soon welcome.

Sainthood cause of Argentine cardinal moves forward

March 11, 2016

VATICAN CITY - The sainthood cause of Argentine Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio, who organized the first World Youth Days as president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has been forwarded to the Vatican.

Native suicide crisis part of the heartache of ministering in First Nations’ communities

March 11, 2016

Living alongside Canada's First Nations people is a ministry of highs and heartaches for Archbishop Murray Chatlain. And the heartache comes to the forefront at times like now, highlighted by a suicide crisis that has struck the First Nations’ community of Cross Lake, Man.

A noble experiment that changed lives

March 11, 2016

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t fear. It was truth that made Archbishop Philip Pocock stand up and say no. The morning of March 20, 1976 Toronto discovered the Catholic Church wasn’t buying the city’s new notion of progress.